title: Rapid growth of left atrial myxoma after radiofrequency ablation.
abstract: Atrial myxoma is the most common benign tumor of the heart, but its appearance after radiofrequency ablation is very rare. We report a case in which an asymptomatic, rapidly growing cardiac myxoma arose in the left atrium after radiofrequency ablation. Two months after the procedure, cardiovascular magnetic resonance, performed to evaluate the right ventricular anatomy, revealed a 10 × 10-mm mass (assumed to be a thrombus) attached to the patient's left atrial septum. Three months later, transthoracic echocardiography revealed a larger mass, and the patient was diagnosed with myxoma. Two days later, a 20 × 20-mm myxoma weighing 37 g was excised. To our knowledge, the appearance of an atrial myxoma after radiofrequency ablation has been reported only once before. Whether tumor development is related to such ablation or is merely a coincidence is uncertain, but myxomas have developed after other instances of cardiac trauma.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Cardiac Surgery (Drs. Adrio Nazar, Martinez Comendador, Rubio Alvarez, Rubio Taboada, and Sierra Quiroga) and Radiology (Dr. Martinez de Alegria), University Hospital, 15706 Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rubio Alvarez
authors.forename: Anxo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martinez de Alegria
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sierra Quiroga
authors.forename: Belen
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Adrio Nazar
authors.forename: Carola
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rubio Taboada
authors.forename: José Manuel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Martinez Comendador
mesh_terms: D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D054087:Atrial Septum / Q000473:pathology; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009232:Myxoma / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D012086:Reoperation; D013997:Time Factors; D047368:Tumor Burden
keywords: Atrial fibrillation/prevention & control; catheter ablation/adverse effects; diagnosis, differential; echocardiography, transesophageal; echocardiography, transthoracic; heart neoplasms/ultrasonography; myxoma/diagnosis/surgery; pulmonary veins